In the
first place he learned that the present Lord Polperro, fourth of that
title, was not the son, but the brother of the Lord Polperro
preceding him, both being offspring, it was plain, of the peer whose
will occasioned a lawsuit some forty years ago. Granted the truth of
scandalous rumour, which had such remarkable supports in facial
characteristics, the present bearer of the title would be, in fact,
half-brother to Francis Quodling. Again, it was discoverable that
the Lord Polperro of to-day succeeded to the barony in the very year
of Mrs. Clover's husband's second disappearance.
"Just what I said," was Gammon's mental comment as he thumped the
aristocratic pages.
Now for the women. To begin with, Lord Polperro was set down a
bachelor--ha! ha! Then he had one sister, Miss Adela Trefoyle, older
than himself, and that might very well be the lady who was seen
beside him at the theatre. Then again, though his elder brother's
male children had died, there was living a daughter, by name
Adeline, recently wedded to--by jorrocks!--Lucian Gildersleeve,
Esquire.
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